Swirling Mists
by DaemeonX
Summary: This is the story of Urashima Keitaro. What will happen when we start the story from the beginning of his college career instead of the middle of it? Let's find out. Rated M for some adult content.
1. His Journey Begins! Away to college

AN: Hey guys! This will be my first fic ever. I've read through almost all of the other fics on here that have over 30k words to feel my way through. I don't know exactly what I'm going to put into this thing so bear with me. Love Hina was one of my favorite anime/mangas. I'm currently reading my way through Mahou Sensei Negima! Which is another manga by Ken Akamatsu. I highly suggest a read through if you enjoy Love Hina! This fic will be mostly UC (unoriginal content), but will derail from the main story line shortly after Keitaro, Naru, and Mutsumi were in the sandbox as kids I.E the first chapter. *Small update - This fic WILL reach over 100,000 words, I so promise!*

Disclaimer: I don't own Love Hina and if Ken decides that he wants to crush my little dream world I'll be severely disappointed. I just like the thought of playing with another man's toys!

Explanation of actions and stuff: They are self explanatory.

*****************************************************

Lazy sunlight spilled onto a small playground where two children played. They were building a small sandcastle in the warm summer wind. One of the childen was a boy with short dark hair and intelligent dark brown eyes. The other child was a little girl with golden brown hair and sparkling light brown eyes. They laughed as the light and wind danced around them, swirling leaves here and there.

"Hey Kei-kun", the little girl said, while slapping more sand on top.

"Hrm", stated Kei-kun, distracted, as he looked at the sand castle from the other side to make sure there was enough support.

"Did you know that when two people get into Todai together that they will find eternal happiness?"

The little girl squinted up at Kei-kun as the sun was shining brightly over his shoulder.

Kei opened his mouth and…

Keitaro woke up in a sweat. The blankets on his futon were tangled up around his legs. Wiping the sweat off his brow he frowned.

"It's that dream again"

"I wonder who that little girl was…"

Keitaro swung his legs over the side of the futon and yawned, scratching his sides in the process. "Geeze these late night study sessions are killing me" he exclaimed standing up, wobbling over to the bathroom.

Taking care of his morning toilets he walked down stairs ready for another day of extreme study. Getting to the bottom he started to call for his mom when a fist crashed into the side of his face. "UGU"! Falling over and crashing into the wall he shouted "WHAT THE FUCK"!

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH YOUNG MAN", his mother shouted back while shaking the pain out of her hand.

"Your father wants to talk to you about something, RIGHT NOW!"

Keitaro blinked from his upside down postion against the wall. He flipped himself upright and brushed the dust off of his clothes as he looked at the wall with glum eyes

"I just know that they are going to make me pay for that" Keitaro whispered to himself, shaking the clouds out of his head.

Turning around he was confronted with glowing red eyes.

"Mo..mo…mom?" Keitaro said while backing up.

Keitaro felt his back hit the wall while she stalked him with a rolling pin.

"What did you say" his mother said softly.

Keitaro felt her words slip into his ears and squeeze his brain. He screamed and tried to run for the den where his father was.

Feeling the dark presence coming up behind him he screamed like a little girl. He looked over his shoulder to see his mother standing in the entry way to the den with murder dripping from her eyes.

"Keitaro, this is the day that your insignificant life; ENDS", Keitaro's mom said through clenched teeth.

Keitaro turned back around to make a run for the front door. *WHAM* Keitaro's conscience was fleeting as a foot slammed into his face.

His father shook his foot trying to un-lodge it from Keitaro's nose.

"Ugh, Keitaro". "When was the last time that you cleaned that thing out", Keitaro's father said disgustedly while shaking his foot loose.

Keitaro got up off the floor and winced as he felt a hand drop on his shoulder. Whimpering, he was spun around and kneed in the crotch, multiple times. Tears streamed down his face as the breath was beaten from his body through his junk.

"Next time", his mother declared "If you want to disrespect me, or your father, you will need to speak a little softer!"

Keitaro wheezed out an apology and tried to stand up. Getting half way up, he gimped over to the stuffed chair in the corner and eased himself down into it.

"You wanted to talk to me dad?" said Keitaro, trying not to rub his dangly bits in front of his mother and father.

His father stood up and walked over to where Keitaro was sitting. Kneeling down he said, "Keitaro, it's time that you did something with your life."

"I understand that you like martial arts, but there comes a time in every man's life where he has to step up to the plate."

Keitaro blinked, "I thought that you liked me staying at home."

"I do a lot of the chores for you…"

Keitaro's father looked at him his eyes slightly shining with fear, "Well your mother wants…"

"Time to man up, is what time it is!" Keitaro's mom stated, glaring at Keitaro.

"It's about time that you grew up a little bit and decided what to do with your life."

Keitaro's mom walked over to him and grabbed him by the lapels.

"You really need to find a woman as well," she said while shaking Keitaro back and forth.

Setting him down, she sat down next to Keitaro's father and hrmphed noisily.

Keitaro looked at his parents and opened his mouth then closed it again. This continued for a couple of minutes before he actually spoke.

"Well… mom, dad, I guess I could try to get into college"

Keitaro's parents had smiles like sharks. "Well son, let's get you started…"

****************************************************

A/N: There you go. I'm starting this fic a bit before the actual LH story line. Please read and review. I love input on what you guys would like to see come out of this. There might be some OC characters as well.


	2. Maple Falls

A/N Right along into the next one. Please check out my profile as I leave updates for the chapter that I'm working on and I leave teasers up there as well. I'm using some characters from Mahou Sensei Negima! this time to make things a little easier on myself. There might be some OC peeps put in later, but for now let's keep it simple, eh? This one will be a little bit different as the first one as it delves into Keitaro's background a little bit and maybe some romance? Okay, a lot of romance.

Loki Fenrisulf IV : He had to earn his semi-immortality somehow. I wanted a clear picture of how Keitaro could handle that much punishment later on (well, that and it's part of the reason why he is afraid of women.)

Disclaimer: Ken Akamatsu owns Love Hina and Mahou Sensei Negima! I don't, and (probably) never will, but if I did there would be a lot more gratuitous nekkid shots that actually show something!

* * *

It had been a couple of days since the "chat" with his parents and Keitaro was starting to get a little worried about getting into Tokyo-U. It was early morning and Keitaro was taking a walk through the small park near his parents place to start his exercise regiment for the day.

_It's a beautiful day today… wish I didn't have to study this afternoon. Man, I'm so tired of mom beating the shit outta me for nothing. Why in the hell do I wake up at the ass crack of dawn to do this…?_

Keitaro stopped in the middle of the path to take a look around. He was nearing his favorite spot in the entire world. If his parents knew about this he had no doubts in his mind that he would be up shit creek without a paddle. Putting a hand above his eyes to screen the sun out he peered up and down the path to make sure no one was watching him.

Satisfied that there was no one nearby, he walked off the path pushing his way through a thicket onto a smaller, hidden, side path. Sighing in pleasure, he looked around taking in the sites of this path through paradise, as he liked to call it in his mind. The path meandered through the trees back and forth and in the distance it opened into a small clearing. Small yellow flowers intertwined in the bushes that gathered around the path with a burst of purple or pink showing through. Keitaro breathed in the scented air and felt muscles that had been tight for days relax. He was glad that he got this chance with the entrance exams looming on the horizon. Shuddering at the thought he stretched and walked forward listening to the birds and bees as they flitted here and there.

Looking forward to the days exercise regiment, he did some ballistic stretching to warm up his shoulders. He let his mind drift off into the fluffy clouds that swam overhead. As he neared the clearing he was woken from his musings by a shout. Frowning, he edged up behind one of the oak trees that lined the clearing and peeked out from behind it to see what was going on…

* * *

A shivery sound pulled Keitaro out of unconsciousness. Keitaro groaned and rolled over onto his side. Pain bounced through his skull as he turned over. His left nostril seemed to be the epicenter for whatever had happened. Eyes shut; he reached up and felt what was left of his nose.

"Ow ow ow!" Keitaro winced as his fingers met his pulped nose. Opening his eyes he realized that the last time his eyes were open he had been looking past an oak tree to see… the same color skirt that his nose was currently two inches from.

Slowly turning his head, he looked up to see sky blue eyes framed by two falls of autumn maple. "Gerk!" Keitaro rolled away from the girl until he slammed the back of his head into one of the oak trees. Groaning in pain he clutched the back of his head while trying to stand up. Keitaro looked up to see the girl giggling and brushing off her skirt.

Blue eyes pierced his heart as he stared at the gorgeous dream come true.

_Hot damn! _ Was the only thought that that circled 'round his mind as he looked on; drool sliding down his chin. The girl walked towards him and bowed.

"I'm sorry for knocking you out like that, but I was surprised that someone else knew about this little hole in the world." The un-named girl looked around the clearing with a small smile on her face. Her eyes shifted from the training posts and ropes strewn across the clearing. She stopped right in front of Keitaro and chuckled to herself that this boy looked like a landed fish with a busted snout.

Keitaro stood there with drool pooling at his feet; wondering what god he had pleased recently.

The girl frowned as her hand flashed forward and slapped Keitaro three times.

"Whaa?" Keitaro exclaimed as he shook his head back and forth to clear out the clouds and butterflies.

"I'm sorry!" Keitaro backed up a little bit and bowed. "I didn't mean to intrude, but this is usually where I do all of my training."

Looking confused he questioned "Chimes?"

The girl, confused for a second as well, giggled again and pointed towards the top of her head. There, nestled in her reddish brown locks, were four bells. There were two bells per side holding her hair up in two long pony tails. They bells chimed and jingled as she moved her head back and forth letting the bells bounce and sound off in the wind.

"They were a gift from a friend…" she stopped talking and took a good look at him. Keitaro was wearing a loose white tank top with blue jeans and white sneakers. He had a silver chain that wrapped around his neck with a small aqua gem nestling in the hollow of his throat. The girl blushed, as her eyes took in Keitaro's fit form.

Coughing and clearing her head of teen fantasies she said," My name is Kagurazaka, Asuna, what's yours"?

Keitaro blinked a couple of times "Ah! Sorry, my name is Urashima, Keitaro. I'm happy to meet you Kagurazaka-san. Uhm, could I venture to question what you were doing…" Keitaro cut himself off sheepishly scratching the back of his head.

Asuna shifted back a step and kicked her foot up into the air. She balanced on one foot and bent her knee slightly then leaped into the air. Twirling in the air she shouted and slammed her upraised foot into a nearby boulder. Keitaro's eyes snapped open and then promptly shut as rock chips and dust flew past him. Opening his eyes, the boulder had a hole in the shape of Asuna's foot blasted into the middle of it.

Landing lightly on the tip of her toes she twirled, letting her hair fly out, and said, "I have a martial arts tournament that I am attending this fall and I'm in desperate need of practice. Since I'm a senior in high school I don't get a lot of time to do anything but study for the final exams that are coming up."

Keitaro put his eyes back in his head and whistled. "I don't think that you'll need a whole lot of practice with the crater you just put in that boulder."

Asuna felt the bridge of her nose burn at the implied compliment. Clearing her throat she leaned up against one of the training posts. "So, Urashima-san, what, uhm, are you doing here.'?

Keitaro brushed the stray rock chips and dust off, "Well as I said earlier, I train here almost every morning. My question for you is how come I have never seen you here before"?

Asuna looked up into the clouds that were still peacefully gliding by, "I usually come here at night to train as there are less people. Seeing as this was a beautiful Saturday I just had to get out and do something."

"Studies be damned!" Asuna exclaimed while giving Keitaro a wink.

Keitaro laughed and rubbed the back of his head again. "_I gotta stop rubbing the back of my head or I'll be bald before I'm 25!"_

"Yeah, I'm in the same boat as you are Kagurazaka-san. I just can't stand to stay inside when it's this nice outside."

"Well, Urashima-san, maybe we can spar together; you DID say that you do training here for martial arts."

"I don't think that we are on the same level Kagurazaka-san… Seeing that hole you put in that bolder makes me fear for my life!"

Keitaro let out a small laugh as he walked over to the training post. "We can..." He paused for a second, a blush showing, and then pushed on. "We can train, together, if you want."

Asuna turned her gaze from the clouds and offered, "That would be great Urashima-san. I could really use the help."

Asuna's gaze sharpened as it crossed Keitaro's face. She walked up to him and pulled a handkerchief out of her sleeve. "I'm sorry, again, that I hit you. You're bleeding again! Here, let me clean you up."

Keitaro stood still while Asuna wiped his nose clean of the blood that had crusted there. His eyes glazed over as her perfume washed over him. She smelled of jasmine and wild roses with a touch of mint. By the time that Asuna was done Keitaro was blushing furiously and was staring at a dirt smudge on his shoe.

Asuna laughed in her head. "_Damn this guy is cute! It's too bad that I already have a boyfriend."_

"Well, Kagurazaka-san, should we get started?"

Asuna looked and nodded "Mmm!"

Keitaro walked over to one of the training posts while Asuna headed over to the largest part of the clearing. Keitaro's face took on a serious aspect as he widened his stance and started punching the post, alternating from his left fist to his right. He started counting out loud trying to keep tabs on how many times he hit the post.

Asuna was stretching a little bit as she kept Keitaro in site out of the corner of her eye. _"This might be too distracting for training…" _ Asuna thought to herself as she watched Keitaro pick up the pace. _"I think I'll start with agility training and finish up with some more Kata."_

Asuna flipped end over end, her hair flying out. Ending with a back flip she immediately ran towards a balance beam.

The clearing was full of training equipment that Keitaro had brought in over the years. Since Asuna had only known about this place for a year or so and had been using it almost every night since the discovery. She was very familiar with the set up now and didn't have any fear of misstep.

The side of the clearing that she was on has beams set around at odd angles for balance purposes. She darted towards one at full speed. Leaning forwards she sprang head first towards the beam. As she passed over she grabbed it with her hands and launched herself forward; twisting as she got to the apogee.

Hearing a crunching sound she glanced over at Keitaro just in time to see him pulling his hand back from the remains of the training post that he had been working on. Eyes widening, she noticed that his hands where smooth and flawless. "_Wow, his hands should be beat to shit with how fast he had been punching that post. I think he was wrong about his earlier assessment on us sparring together." _Asuna glanced down just in time to realize that something was wrong, horribly wrong.

Keitaro had sweat running down his face as he stood up from his last punch. _"Better than the last time methinks! Only had to punch 52 times instead of 86 to get the post to break. I think I need to go visit granny Hina for some advanced training here soon…"_

Keitaro's head snapped up as he heard a shout of "fuck" coming from where Asuna was at. Seeing exactly what was going to happen he took off across the field. "Kagurazaka-san, watch out!" Keitaro shouted as he sprinted across the field, dodging random equipment.

Asuna knew that Keitaro wouldn't be able to make it in time. She also knew damn well that she was pretty screwed. While she had been watching Keitaro break the post she didn't notice that she had twisted out of position just a smidge. Just enough for her to know that she was going to be in a heap of pain in short order.

As she fell time seemed to slow for Keitaro in his mad dash to get to her. As he ran he saw her raise her left foot while lowering her right in preparation for landing. He also saw that her foot was going to land on the side of the beam at terminal velocity. Keitaro reached out panting with lack of air, trying his damndest to reach her before she hit. "Shit!" Keitaro shouted as her foot hit the beam.

Asuna's scream rent the air and echoed across the park. People walking through, and nearby, jumped at the primal sound that ripped through their ear drums.

Asuna fell over on her side and curled into the fetal position right as Keitaro reached her.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit" Keitaro's stomach lurched into his mouth as he saw the pale ivory and crimson showing through her sock. Asuna grabbed her leg, shaking and sobbing, while trying to keep her ankle stable. Blood started to pool under her that left an image burned into Keitaro's mind.

He kneeled next to her and said in a calm but shaky voice, "Kagurazaka-san, I'm going to have to go for help." Asuna looked up, her blue eyes quivering as she tried not to faint from pain. She whispered; the pain evident in her voice, "Okay Urashima-san. I'm sorry to be such a burden… I mean we just met…" Her tears fell faster as she tried to put into words how sorry she was for ruining such a perfect day.

Keitaro looked down at her beautiful self that was scrunched up in pain. His dark brown eyes brimmed with concern for this girl that he barely knew. Feeling his heart lurch in response as he saw her shudder, he closed his eyes and put his hands over the break. "_Grandma Hina would skin me if she knew I was going to try this…"_ Asuna, her eyes squeezed shut; breath, rushing from clenched teeth, flinched as she felt something hit her face. Hesitantly she reached up and brushed her check. Feeling a warm wetness, she looked up at Keitaro to see tears streaming down his face. She gasped at the look on Keitaro's face. It was the most peaceful, yet, in a way, pained, expression that she had ever seen. She gasped even harder as her ankle started to pound. She looked down at her ankle and the green glow that was emanating from Keitaro's hand.

"He's a ki user", Asuna said in shock. _"I thought I was the only ki user in the Tokyo area."_ Her mind was starting to get hazy from blood loss and she couldn't quite understand what was going on when a sharp stab of pain shot through her body. Keitaro was oblivious to what she was saying. His face tightened as Asuna's ankle snapped back into place and started to knit. The skin slithered together, but didn't heal all the way. A small gash that leaked blood was all that was left by the time that Keitaro opened his eyes. Looking down, he saw that Asuna had fallen into unconsciousness. Fatigue slammed into him causing him to stagger.

He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and thought, "_I've really got to train in healing. I never thought that the training that Granny Hina gave me would actually work. Of course, the last time that I tried to do this Granny ended up in the hospital from just a tiny cut on her finger."_

Keitaro hoisted Asuna up into his arms and ran down the small path. The beautiful scenery, forgotten in his haste, blurred into a green, yellow, and brown smear. _"Hold on Kagurazaka-san, hold on…"_

* * *

Asuna groaned at the incessant beeping in her ear. Beep, Beep, Beep. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to ignore it to no avail. The beeping began to get faster as her annoyance rose and there was something wet spreading on her leg.

"GRAAHHH!"

Asuka sat up and opened her eyes. They darted around trying to figure out where she was. It was dark and smelled of disinfectant. She could barely see a white curtain pulled around the bed that she was in. A heart monitor was hooked up to her; small leads ran to her chest. Panic rose as she tried to remember what happened. Noticing a dark lump in front of her she shakily reached for it and realized that the lump was attached to a body. Slowly, she turned the head towards her and saw Keitaro's sleeping profile, a small puddle of drool having collected on the sheets. Calming a little she ran her hand over Keitaro's face as the recent memories of what happened slammed into her. Fighting for breath she started to panic worse than before as she remembered the shattering pain from her right ankle. She lifted the blanket fearing for the worse.  
Trying not to disturb Keitaro, she saw what was left.

The first thing that she saw was the drool had seeped through the blanket and that was the wet spot that she had felt. The second thing was a bandage wrapped around her ankle. It was then that she realized that she wasn't in pain. Gingerly she reached down and touched the bandage. A small ache flew through her ankle, but nothing else. Looking up in wonder, she took in everything else that was around her. There was a bag of blood hooked up to her. The bed had a metal frame that was pulled up on the opposite side of Keitaro. Looking down she had a wrist bracelet on with her name on it. She also had one of those nasty white and blue affairs of a hospital gown on. "Ugh", she whispered, the sound of her voice loud in the quiet room. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a green flash. Making a querulous sound she turned her head and saw that there was an emergency button that had a flashing green LED on it. The bright green made her mind itch.

Keitaro whimpered in his sleep and shifted. The sound brought Asuna's attention back around to him. As she looked at him again the green light flashed again and brought back the memories of what he had done; what he had done for her. Leaning over she gently kissed his sleeping lips with a promise to herself to do a better job of it when he was awake enough to appreciate it.

"Thank you Kei-kun, for everything. If you hadn't have been there I'd probably be dead by now."

She laid back down and snuggled into her pillow. As she drifted off to sleep she reached down and held Keitaro's hand. A gentle smile crossed her lips as her eyes grew heavier. Oblivion claimed her consciousness.

* * *

Light penetrated Keitaro's eyes. His neck stiff and sore from sleeping on the side of a hospital bed, he raised his head. Azure eyes and the most beautiful smile that he had ever seen greeted him. A single tear fell from Asuna's eyes, causing Keitaro's heart to stop for a moment before it galloped on.

"Urashima-san.", Asuna said in a quiet voice. "Are you feeling ok?"

Keitaro smiled up at her and voiced his concern, "Hello Kagurazaka-san. Why the waterfall?"

"Because I'm happy silly!" Asuna grabbed Keitaro's hand and pulled him up so that she could wrap her arms around him. She sobbed into his tank top as Keitaro stood there, stunned, that this girl, who he barely knew, would look to him for comfort. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her shoulders and squeezed; murmuring the sweet nothings that come from trying to comfort the hurt.

Asuna backed off a little and rubbed her eyes. Keitaro grabbed a tissue from a small table in the corner of the room and handed it to her. She sniffed and blew her nose, Keitaro being gentlemanly enough, grabbed the tissue from her and threw it away. She giggled as he made a disgusted face on his way to the trash can.

Keitaro felt nervousness flow over him as he realized that he was alone with Asuna. He walked back over to the bed, not paying a wit of attention to where he was walking. Asuna was looking around the room, now being able to see the rest of the room instead of white curtain, with interest. The room was of standard industrial white with a sort of swirly blue pattern going around the top of the wall. There were a few other medical beds that were devoid of occupants. Every bed had a curtain pulled off to the side that provided privacy and a heart monitor was set off to the side. There was also a TV that was currently showing a game show that involved squid and touch football.

Keitaro, not paying attention, failed to notice that there was a loose bit of linoleum that had a date with his foot. Keitaro took his next step and said, "Kagurazaka-san, we will need to contact your parents, since you've been here since yesterday morning. I know that they have to be worr.." his sneaker kissed the tile and bliss was formed. "Woah, oof!" Keitaro shouted as he tripped and fell onto the bed. Grabbing his glasses, he adjusted them and looked up to see that he was five millimeters away from Asuna's face. "Wha? Oomph." Asuna's lips met his as her arms snaked around his neck keeping him still. Keitaro struggled for a little bit and then settled down to enjoy the sensation.

The door to the room opened and a doctor in scrubs walked in. "Oh! I'll just see my way out then", the man chuckled. Keitaro scooted across the bed so fast that the covered that Asuna was under came with him. Asuna Shrieked and pulled the covers back up which in turn sent Keitaro spinning ass over heels over the foot of the bed. "Blerk!" what the sound closest to what Keitaro said as his head smashed into the floor.

Pulling the covers up Asuna crawled over to the edge of the bed to make sure that Keitaro hadn't suffered any major injury. Grinning sheepishly he stood up and brushed his clothes off. "I seem to spend a lot of my time on the floor in front of you, Kagurazaka-san." Asuna giggled. "Please, Keitaro, call me Asuna. I feel as if it's anyone that you have earned the right." Keitaro had a small blush across the bridge of his nose as he rubbed the back of his head. "If you are going to go that far, Asuna-san, please call me Keitaro".

The rest of the day was a blur of doctor's and checkups. Keitaro also got a chance to call his parents, who were pissed, as well as Asuna, whose were more scared than pissed. The highlight of the evening was when Asuna's parents got there and her father assumed that Keitaro was the one that broke Asuna's ankle. Getting that situation rectified took the rest of the afternoon. By nightfall Asuna was released with a small ankle brace on. Asuna gave Keitaro a small kiss goodbye and a slip with her phone number on it and left with her parents.

* * *

Keitaro sighed the sigh of a man who has just had his life turned upside down. He glumly walked down the street towards his parent's house; going as slow as possible as he knew a beat down was imminent. Sighing again he wondered what god of mischief was smiling, or frowning, upon him.

In the heavens a woman was felled by an enormous sneeze. "Huh, one of my cases must be talking about me again…"

Keitaro continued his trudge towards doom. As he reached the walkway up to his house he could feel evil intent bearing down upon him. It only grew worse as he reached the front door. As his key turned the tumblers in the lock shivers raced down his spine. He slowly opened the door and… a smashing pain caused him to skip across the ground back to the street. Keitaro's mother sat with her hands on her hips, grimace on her face, waiting, for her son to come back to her for more punishment. As Keitaro stood up he felt something smash up against the back of his head and he ricocheted back to his mother.

An odd game of Kei pong started as he was smashed head to toe, back and forth, between his mom and dad. When he went through the front window and rolled under the dining room table is when the pain stopped. He heard the front door close and edged towards the center of the table, trying to remain unseen. He saw a pair of hands reach for him and he arched his back and hissed, scooting to the other side of the table. Hands grabbed him back the back of the neck. The next thing he saw was his father's angry face.

When Keitaro woke up he was on the couch. His parents were nowhere to be found. Feeling lucky he fist pumped and scrambled up the stairs to his room. Being 18 his room was the standard mix of rock band/anime posters smeared across his wall. His futon sat in on the right side of his room with his computer and book cases balancing the left side. Wearily he crashed down onto his futon. Mind spinning, he tried to make sense of what happened over the last two days. Not discovering anything that he could decipher he let his mind loose on the winds of dreams.

* * *

Keitaro woke up to the phone ringing on his bed stand. Cracking and eye he looked over at the phone and let it ring. "You know sometimes it's better to stay in your bed then to get up and let the world beat you down again." Keitaro giggled to himself a little bit, and realizing that it sounded really unhealthy to be giggling to oneself, he sat up and got himself ready for the day. While brushing his teeth he thought about the previous days and he still didn't understand what had exactly happened. Rinsing his mouth out he looked at himself in the mirror and touched his lips. "My first kiss, to a girl I barely know." Giggling again, sounding healthier this time, he dressed himself and headed downstairs. Having had a good night rest he could be forgiven for forgetting about his parents.

Limping with his ears ringing, Keitaro walked to the cram school. He had forgotten in the excitement of the last couple of days that he still had to practice for the entrance exams. The limp was a testament to his mother's sharp memory.

His mind kept wandering to soft lips and blue eyes. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out Asuna's phone number and sighed. He knew, mentally, that he was smitten. The girl was a fire cracker and he knew that a normal guy like him wouldn't have a chance in hell of getting with her on a more permanent basis. But that kiss… He got to the train stop in short order and made his way to one of the few open seats. Sitting down he looked around at the business people in their sharp suits and expensive perfumes. "_I don't know exactly what I want to do with my life, but I DO know that I don't want to be stuck behind a desk all day. Ugh, do I really want to go to college even?_"

His mind spun in little circles as he tried to figure out what direction he wanted his life to go in. Soon, as it always did, his mind went blank and he just stared at the scenery whipping by. When Keitaro let his mind snap into focus it was to the tune of the operator saying it was his stop. Getting off the train he wandered up to the cram school. Getting half way up the steps of the school he was bowled over backwards by girl with light brown hair and a checkered skirt. "Damnit" Keitaro exclaimed as he fell backwards. Acting fast, he grabbed the girl as well so that she wouldn't be hurt on the way down. Hitting the steps, pain and suffering, oh yes, pain and suffering, he rolled backwards and sprang up off the steps. Clutching the girl to his chest, as she screamed bloody murder, he hit the ground at the bottom of the steps with a thud. Favoring his ankles a little bit her looked down to make sure that the girl was ok.

She was smaller than him by a little bit, younger too. She had a heart shaped face framed by honey brown hair. Keitaro looked up and saw a black haired man in a white lab coat looking down at him. "Narusegawa-chan, are you ok", the man in the white coat questioned while walking down the steps. Keitaro released the girl seeing that she was fine and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that miss. I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention". The girl looked up at him… and punched him in the stomach. "!" was the approximate sound that Keitaro made while trying to get precious oxygen into his lungs. Gasping for air he made his way over to the rail while the man in the white coat berated his young charge for sucker punching a man who tried to help her.

The man in the white coat walked over to Keitaro and said, "Sorry about that. She's a handful on the best of days." He gathered the young girl up in front of him and walked towards the parking lot. "Sorry to chat and go, but I have to get her home before her parents get angry at me for being late again!" Keitaro looked up, tears blurring his vision, and gasped "you're welcome." He walked, now limping, and bent over, up the stairs to continue his day. He wondered about the state of the universe and what god he had pissed off.

In heavens there a lanky man grinned that flipped a coin up into the air. "I like this guy an' I'm going to make his life hell in a couple of years." The man poofed a small black book into existence and wrote something in it.

* * *

"Sleeeeeep", Keitaro moaned as he made his way back home. He had already had a tough enough time at the school. He was ten minutes late and had extra home work for his tardiness. The train was a nightmare in its own right as he had missed his stop twice, once on the way there because of being pressed by other passengers and twice because he had fallen asleep. Luckily he had made it off on the last pass and was now trudging home trying not to fall asleep. He kept glancing at the curb thinking it would make a comfy pillow. He made it to his parent's house and leaned up against the door frame trying to get his key to fit the hole. Squabbling with the key, he finally opened the door and wobbled his way up to his bed. Stripping from the door to his futon he put his glasses on the night stand and fell onto the futon with a sigh of delight. He immediately pushed himself up as he felt the crinkle of paper underneath him.

Blinking to clear the haze out of his eyes he put his glasses back on and read:

_Keitaro, some girl called for you. Please call her back as she is insistent and keeps interrupting my naps. _

_ Mom_

Keitaro leaped out of bed and snapped the phone up. Taking Asuna's number out of his pocket he dialed the number as fast as his fingers could fly. Listening to the phone ring, he started fidgeting as his nervousness flashed over him.

"Fujisawa's fantastic fish, this is Takahashi-san, can I help you?" Keitaro looked at the phone and hung up. "Slower this time dumbass", he berated himself while lightly slapping his face. He looked at the number and dialed, making sure that the numbers were in the right order this time. Feeling the tension rise again he started fidgeting and playing with the telephone cord. Hearing the line pick up, his heart beat faster and he started to sweat. "Kagurazaka-san residence, this is Amy, how can I direct your call?" Keitaro froze in shocked silence. He didn't realize that Asuna was rich enough to have a maid. "Y..y..yes, is Asuna-san there" Keitaro said softly. "One moment please." Keitaro got the pleasure of listening to elevator music for seven minutes before the line picked up again. "Hello?" came Asuna's voice.

"H.. hello Asuna, this is Keitaro". Asuna sounded surprised "Keitaro! I didn't know if you were going to call me. I was wondering where my knight in shining armor went off to!" Keitaro's eyes widened a bit as that thought bounced around his skull. "Well, I didn't know if I should call, but I got the note that my mom left…" Asuna broke in, "I loved talking to your mom, she's very sweet." Keitaro looked at the phone in consternation as if to say the fuck you talking bout woman. "If you say so… so, what did you want to talk about?

"I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me tomorrow? Dead silence met THAT declaration as Keitaro gave "that" look to the phone again. "Hello? Keitaro? Are you there?" Asuna's voice broke his look and he brought the receiver back to his ear. "Ah, are you sure about that Asuna-san? I mean we barely know each other…" Asuna laughed, "Well how are we supposed to get to know each other if we don't go out and talk, and didn't I ask you to call me Asuna?" Asuna's glare could be felt through the phone" Keitaro face palmed as he realized how much of an idiot he sounded. _"Well there's always a first time I guess."_ "What time?" Keitaro ventured. "If you could, please pick me at five p.m tomorrow night." "Can I get your address or am I supposed to be Mr. Wizard and guess?" Asuna giggled and gave him her address. He gave his address to her as well as he figured she should know where he lived. They finished up the phone call with the little pleasantries of people who are excited to see each other and hung up.

Keitaro took his hand off the phone, humming to himself, and chuckled. He laid back down on his futon after taking his glasses off and smiled to himself. _"I guess I do have a little luck after all…._

* * *

Keitaro woke up to the sounds of voices before his door. Shaking his head to clear the cobwebs out he glanced over at the clock to see the glaring red numbers. _"8 o clock eh? Must be Shirai or Haitani."_ Keitaro flipped his legs over the side of the bed and went to make himself presentable. Running some water over his face he heard his door open and his mother's voice "Keitaro, you have a visitor." Keitaro rubbed water out of his eyes as he turned the cold water up. _"Huh, mom never introduces those guys to me, she just sends them up." _His mother's voice came over the sound of the running water. "Hurry up; I don't want you to make Kagurazaka-san wait any longer!"

Two things happened, suddenly and violently. One, Keitaro swallowed the whole handful of water that he had just brought to his lips and two; he hit his knee on the sink from the surprise. Choking, he tried to massage his knee and get air at the same time. Finally getting a breath of fresh air he exclaimed, "Whuaaa!" Running around in little circles he panicked. _"What in the hell is she doing here! Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap, holy crap." _This sad little drama played out until he nailed himself on the sink again. Looking at himself in the mirror he made sure that he looked ok, nothing hanging out anywhere and everything in place.

Running back over to his bed he grabbed his glasses, slapped them on his face, and ran do the door. Opening the door he rushed through and received a back hand to his face. His mom's glowering face looked down at him from the doorway. Keitaro picked himself up and put his glasses back on from where they fell on the floor. "Mom! Where is Asuna at?" Keitaro got his ass handed to him again and this time he rolled around on the floor clutching at his injured face. His mother stormed into the room and started screaming at him about why he had invited someone from one of the most prominent families in Japan over, and why, in hell, was he taking so much time to greet her.

Meanwhile while Keitaro rolled on the floor, trying to keep his nose where it was supposed to be, he was wondering why his mom was wasting more of his time by beating and screaming at him. His mom grabbed him by the lapels and pulled him nose to nose. "You will NOT disappoint me! This is the biggest chance of your life and I recommend not fucking this up." Keitaro shivered as he felt the blood wrath spilling from her eyes. "I.. I…. I'll do my best mom." His mom glared at him for a couple more seconds and then let him go. He hit the ground with a thump and scooted around her making for downstairs. He heard her voice following him, making him pause as he heard an unusual quiver in it. "Please let him find someone that makes him happy." Keitaro shook his head, thinking that he must have heard her wrong. She never wanted anything put pain and suffering for him. As he got closer to the bottom of the stairs he looked up from his ruminations and his jaw hit the floor.

Asuna was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. She had on a gray silk dress with small white polka dots on it. A black belt went across her slim waste and a small black purse swinging from her shoulder. Asuna smiled as Keitaro walked down the stairs. Seeing the smile Keitaro felt his face blaze up and his heart rate flutter. "Hello Keitaro-kun", her melodic voice spiked into his man center and caused a CPU STOP in his brain, which in turn short circuited his motor control. "Hello AssSSSUUNAHHHHH!" Keitaro tripped over his own feet and fell down the stairs with a crash.

Lying still for a minute, trying to assess the damage, he realized that his head was being cushioned by something soft. Something familiar… He looked up, glasses askew on his nose, to see a blurry Asuna looking down at him. Her dress was riding halfway up her thighs. Shocked, she looked down, squeaked, and punched him out of reflex. "Gurl, hurp, frinkle, OOF", was approximately what Keitaro said as he bounced halfway up the stairs and then comically slid back down with a slight whump as his head hit the landing at the bottom.

He shot to his feet and started to apologize profusely as his face looked as if someone had set it on fire. Asuna giggled and put a finger to his lips silencing him. She shook her head slightly and took his hand. "Come on Keitaro! I wanted to surprise you and take you out for some ice cream", Asuna said merrily as she pulled him out the door.

Righting his glasses he glanced behind just in time to see his mom descending the stairs like a greater demon standing over a virgin who just happened to "lose her way." Gulping he hurried out the door with Asuna with a shout, "I'll be back later mom!"

* * *

Asuna led him to the train and chose a couple of seats for them. They sat and chatted while waiting for their destination to arrive. They talked about little things like the weather and the martial arts that they studied. Keitaro wasn't able to talk much about his training methods as they were a family secret, and it involved torture from his granny if he let slip the secrets of the Urashima Inner Light style. Sooner than they wished the train came to a stop and they were let out into the Tokyo subway. Getting off at the Shibuya Station they meandered around the shops and store fronts chatting about this and that, while eating ice cream. Hours passed by as the wandered. School was a major part of the conversation. Keitaro explained to Asuna that his parents were adamant about him getting into school and doing something with his life. He also explained that as far as he was concerned he just wanted to study martial arts. Asuna explained why she was into martial arts, but shied away from anything family related.

"Keitaro, are you hungry?"

Keitaro looked up from a collection of necklaces that were from a popular playstation game. "I could use a bite to eat… what do you feel like?" She looked around at the people wandering through the district. They were mostly teenagers, like them, and brightly dressed. Asuna caught a particularly bright character in a neon green dress with horizontal orange stripes. Asuna thought about it for a second after the momentary distraction and then smacked her fist into her palm. "Come on Kei-kun we have to get something better to wear." She hurried off heading towards Omotesando Hills. Keitaro looked down at himself and saw his button up shirt was slightly dingy and that his blue jeans looked as if they had gone through a washer machine full of razor blades. "Ah, Asuna, I don't have the money to shop there." Asuna whirled around, her dress belled out, and winked at him, "What? You think I'm going to let my savior go without getting him SOMETHING." Asuna flashed him a smile and headed off again. Keitaro blinked for a couple of minutes before running after her.

They reached the Omotesando Hills store in short order. Asuna headed right for the Dolce and Gabbana store. Keitaro gaped at the fact that she was going to buy him something that was more expensive than his whole entire suite of clothes. Keitaro stepped into the store and felt his mouth drop open as he saw the prices on the shirts, pants, and dresses than lined the shop. Asuna was already over at the blazer section browsing through the merchandise. She glanced up at him as she felt the silk of a black blazer. She motioned the stewardess over and whispered in her ear. The stewardess looked Keitaro up and down and gave him a small, secret, smile.

"Come with me sir and we will get you ready" Keitaro frowned at her, "Ready for what?" The stewardess grinned at him "You'll see". Asuna was already heading towards the dress section, her eyes darting around, looking for something that would fit in with Keitaro's suit.

An hour later Keitaro was fitted into the most expensive piece of fabric that he had ever had the pleasure of wearing in his whole life. It didn't help that the stewardess had kept sneaking peeks as he put the suit on either. He was currently sitting on one of stuffed chairs they had periodically through the store. His back was starting to hurt as he was sitting straight as an arrow in an effort not to wrinkle the suit. Hearing a clicking noise he turned his head and grabbed at his nose as he saw Asuna strutting towards him.

Asuna's new dress was a one piece, pitch black, silk affair. It had ripples of silk going down the front that formed obsidian waves. There was also a fall of twisted black silk that fell down her front left side. She had black high heels on as well; that was what was making the clicking sound. She stopped in front of him and he had time to see the silver jewelry that she had picked up from somewhere that complemented dress. "Hello Kei-kun", she purred at him. Keitaro stared at the modest swell of cleavage that she presented to him and his brains gears grinded to a screeching halt.

Asuna reached forward and gently closed his mouth with a snap. "Come on Kei-kun, let's go find something to eat". Keitaro closed his eyes to take a mental screen shot of that dress, and oh my god those legs! He hurried after her to catch up with her slight form. They walked for a bit, him being quiet as he as uncomfortable, and her being quiet as she enjoyed Keitaro being uncomfortable. Asuna went over to the street and hailed a taxi. "Hurry up Kei-kun I'm hungry!" Asuna exclaimed while getting into the back of the cab. Keitaro ran over and piled in after her.

* * *

They drove for a little bit before stopping in the Minato district. After paying the driver Asuna got out of the cab, dragging Keitaro with her.

"Come, come, come!"

"I'll bring you to my favorite place to eat" Asuna said as she drug Keitaro down the street by the back of his suit jacket.

Asuna dragged him into the restaurant. Asuna released Keitaro, who immediately straightened his jacket while muttering about crazy red heads. Looking up at the sign Keitaro's draw dropped to the floor again as he realized that he was going to eat a meal more expensive than the suit he occupied.

The letters of the sign glowed out their magnificent majesty.

Aragawa

Keitaro gulped and walked into Aragawa with Asuna by his side.

After they got seated they talked about more random subjects before settling on school again. Keitaro talked about his hopes and dreams of getting into Tokyo-U and Asuna talked about her wish to get into the prestigious college as well, or going abroad to study in America or England. Things quieted down a bit when the food came and started back up as Asuna payed the bill with a credit card. After that they got up and left Aragawa.

Keitaro yawned and glanced at his watch. "_Holy shit , it's 8 at night already?" "Well I'll have to get Asuna home soon as I'm sure her parents are wondering where the hell she went off to at EIGHT this morning"._ Asuna surprisingly was thinking about something entirely different.

"Keitaro-kun…" Asuna asked while glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"Eh?" Keitaro said while they walked to the train station.

"Would you mind if I came over for a little bit?"

Keitaro glanced over at Asuna and said …

Asuna stopped and grabbed Keitaro's hand, bringing it up before her. "I want to get to know you better Keitaro, and I would love to see your home, and your family again."

Keitaro stared, speechless, that she would want to go over to his home. His boring, nothing fancy, home where his nightmare of a mother was at.

Asuna sighed and let her hair fall in front of her face. "I guess I'm being too forward neh? Keitaro-kun" She let go of his hand and turned to continue walking to the station.

Keitaro realized at that exact point in his existence that he was a sucker, and that he was going to get played like this by every female in existence.

"Ah, wait, Asuna-san. I didn't say that I didn't want you to come over. I was just a bit surprised. I mean..". Keitaro laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "I mean you have such rich parents, why would you want to see the dump that I inhabit?"

Asuna looked at Keitaro in bewilderment. "Your home is a part of who you are Keitaro. It helped make you who you are."

Asuna giggled at the surprised look on Keitaro's face. "Ok you, let's get outta here."

* * *

Keitaro sighed as he opened the front door to his house with Asuna at in tow. "I'm home!" He shouted as let Asuna go through the door. He turned to shut the door and shuddered as he felt something hot on the back of his neck. Turning around he saw his mother, her eyes burning with displeasure.

"Keitaro! Where have you been, you know that you should ca…" His mom shut her mouth with an audible click as she realized who the gorgeous young lady next to him must be.

"Kagurazaka-san! I'm surprised to see you here.." Keitaro's mom trailed off as she took in the dress that Asuna was wearing and the suit that Keitaro was wearing. "P- p – please make yourself at home while I talk with my son." she stated while walking backwards into the kitchen.

Keitaro glanced over at Asuna and sighed as he knew what was about to happen. "Go ahead and make yourself at home Asuna. I'll be out in a second."

Asuna stared at him for a second before smiling and making her way over to the living room sofa. "Sure Keitaro-kun, I'll be right here waiting for you…

* * *

A/N not quite 10k words, but I'm sure some of you guys were wondering where in the hell I went off to. Well I went off fishing and doing the summer thing in Alaska. I'm going to try to get the next chapter out BEFORE three months have passed.

The sad thing is that I had 7k words done within a week and then life caught me up in its dark tendrils.

Please read and review if you can.

Also of note we met Naru early on here. I wanted Keitaro to meet her and had a hard time figuring it out until I realized that he went to cram school all the time.

A/N 9/15/2010

Hey guys! I JUST realized that some of the story was in bold (fixed that) and wanted to let you guys know that I still writing. I should have the next chapter done within the next week or so.

I'M LOOKING FOR A BETA READER. Mostly to bounce my ideas off of. I can handle the grammar part ;)


	3. Home is Where the Heart is

A/N: Been a while right… Who in the hell am I kidding it's been a reeeaaalllll long time! That's okay though. College has been dragging me around, but I'm on all the time reading through the other fics on the site. TL;DR I'm back and ready to get writing again. I can't promise that I won't vanish for a bit again as I'm still in college, but I promise that I will finish this story. I might even write another one! Please PM with with suggestions if you have them.

UPDATE: I'm done with college! I worked really hard to get this up to snuff and I hope you enjoy it!

With that I present to thee, chapter three…

Disclaimer: Ken Akamatsu owns Love Hina I wish I did, but I don't.

Keitaro watched as Asuna went into the living room. He dreaded walking into the kitchen as he knew that his mother was going to berate him for not calling out a warning. He sighed as he crept in.

As he entered his mother was sitting at the kitchen table with her head in her hands. Feeling uncomfortable, he took a seat at the table. "Mom… I would have told you, but…". Keitaro's mother started to shake as a black aura rose around her. "Kei-kun", came the deadly sweet whisper from behind her shaking hands.

The whites of Keitaro's eyes shook from the blow that took him in the face. A small cry escaped his lips as he was lifted from his seat and propelled into the sink. He didn't have time to do anything from how fast it landed. Keitaro's mother stood up and stomped over to him. She dragged him out of the sink and shook him. On each shake she growled out,

"Kei"!

"Tar"!

"Ro"!

"Why"!

"Are"!

"You"!

"Such"!

"A"!

"BAKA"!

his mother slammed him up against the wall and whispered harshly into his ear, "You do know that Kagurazaka-san is the daughter of Kagurazaka Hideyoshi right"?! Keitaro stared at her, the significance of what she said sinking into his addled brain.

"He's one of the owners of the Kenta business parks in Tokyo, isn't he?", Keitaro responded, getting strength back into his voice.

Keitaro shook his mother off and straightened his clothes. He leaned against the counter as he shook the cobwebs out of his head. His mother glared at him and hissed "Why would you do this to us"?

"We are embarrassed enough as is to have you as a son, but now you are apparently dating the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Japan!"

Keitaro's mother's voice shook with rage, "How could you do this to us, US, your family who does everything for you"?

"What were you think…", her voice trailed off as she looked up at him. His gaze penetrated to the depths of her soul as she realized that she might have gone a bit too far. Keitaro leaned forward tickling her ear with his breath as the dark whisper left his lips, "For seventeen years I have dealt with you, the pain, the suffering, the gloating, the ridicule, and most of all the nonexistent love that you have for your son"!

His hot breath stirred her hair as his whispers took on a fevered tempo, "And now that I have found someone to be with, this is how you treat me"? "No longer, mother, no longer", the venomous words slithered out to settle in her heart, wrapping it up, and dragging it down to the darkness.

Keitaro pulled back slightly and looked his mother in the eyes. His mother saw no compassion, no compromise, only the cold of the darkest night.

"I refuse to be your punching bag, anymore, I refuse to be ridiculed, and most of all I refuse to listen to my own mother berate me for looking for friendship and love, besides we're not even dating yet"!

Keitaro turned sharply and stomped out of the kitchen, muttering darkly and making sharp gestures as he went. His mother sunk to her knees, crying softly to herself.

In the living room Asuna sat on the couch and looked around. She took in the pictures of the Urashima family and noticed there was a harsh strictness present, not the warmth she associated with strong knit families. "_I wonder why Keitaro is taking so long"_, she wondered as the minutes passed. She jumped when she heard a large object being slammed in the kitchen.

"What the...?" she started as she heard heavy footsteps coming her way. She watched as Keitaro stomped in, muttering to himself, as he came towards her.

Keitaro's voice was rough as he spoke, "Kagurazaka-san… I'm sorry, but you will have to leave for now…". He looked like he was struggling with words that just wouldn't come to him. "Okay.. Urashima-san", she said in a reproachful voice. As she stood to leave Keitaro hugged her and whispered, "I'm sorry… my mother has decided that I have to move out, so…". She stepped back and grabbed his chin forcing him to look at her.

She gave him a swift peck on the lips and said, "It's okay Keitaro-Kun, I understand, I don't know what you have been through as we have just met, but I would like to…".

"Please call me when you get a chance,"

Keitaro's sad eyes told her that it could be a while before they spoke again. He walked her to the door and whispered, "I WILL call you when I get a chance, it could be a while, but I'm going to move forward with my life. In a stronger voice that carried throughout the house he said, "I'll be moving out. I'll talk to some of the friends that I have made through the cram school. I think that it's for the best"!

Asuna gave him a sad smile and a wave before she shut the door behind her and walked off into the night. She sighed and thought to herself, "_I wish that our beginning would have been a bit smoother, but it's a good thing that he decided to get out from underneath the yoke of being their son. Dad always said that Urashima Yoko was an overbearing ass"._

Keitaro watched as the door shut, feeling more alone that he had in his entire life. Tears of anger formed at the edges of his eyes and he started to shake. _"I feel bad about the lie about mom trying to force me out, but I didn't want to drag her in… I didn't need this place anyways… It's time to spread my wings and fly out of this madhouse"._

He walked up the stairs looking at the pictures that lined the walls. At the top, his favorite picture, hung low on the wall. It was a picture of the front of the family inn. He stood tall and firm with a huge smile on his face. His adopted sister sat on his shoulders, smiling, as she was getting a piggy back ride from her Oni-chan. It was the first time that they had met.

Shortly after that his grandmother had taken her to train in the family arts. He had seen her a few times through the years. She always seemed to be a taller and wiser to the ways of the world every time that they met. Thinking back on it he hadn't seen her in a couple of years. _"I should call granny to see if I could arrange a meeting with her." _

Still angry from the confrontation with his mother and Asuna leaving, he rushed into his room. Keitaro gathered his things as fast as he could. _"Can't forget my toothbruth, need to get my manga collection, that'll have to wait, need my clothes". _ He glanced over at the clock and saw 10:38 glaring back at him in a baleful red glow. "_So tired, I need to get out of here and find a place to stay for tonight",_ his thoughts fuzzy from the anger and increasing weariness that infused him.

He gathered up the last of the things that he could get and closed his suitcase. He took one last look around his room, things scattered here and there in his haste, bare as his heart felt. "_Time for me to move past this monkey on my back, time to get a new life, a new start."_ Keitaro laughed softly as he grabbed his suitcase.

He grabbed his favorite picture before he went down the stairs, tucking it beneath his arm, while his suitcase thumped behind him. He saw no sign of his mother as he strode to the front door. He stood his suitcase up and looked around one last time. Keitaro noticed that there wasn't anything holding him back anymore. This house was going to be cleansed of his presence. "_I'm never going to return here. There isn't any point. No one cares. Meh, F it"! _he fumed as grabbed his suitcase and left.

As Keitaro walked down the street his feelings were jumbled. On one hand he was a bit scared to be venturing out of the place that was his home for all of his life, but on the other hand he felt relieved that he wouldn't have to worry about getting beat half to death. He sighed as his suitcase bumped along behind him, uncaring, as it was a suitcase, and didn't have any particular feelings in the first place.

Keitaro wandered, and thought about the last few days. He thought about the amazing girl that had come into his life and the non-existent love that his parents had for him. His dad was always at work, and since he didn't have a male role model in his life his mother had tried, and failed, to step up into his father's shoes. All that he had wanted was a little love to be shown.

As he passed a street light the exhaustion that he had been fighting off threatened to overwhelm him. He leaned on the light pole and gave a heavy sigh as he thought about all of the searching that he still had to do.

_"Man, I have to find a place to stay before I fall asleep on my feet", _he thought as he blew out a quick breath. He took out his cell phone and looked through the list of friends that he had made since entering the cram school. It was a short list. _"I wonder if Shirai or Haitani have room for me. Find out in a second I guess". _

Keitaro hit Shirai's name on his phone and waited while the call rang through. He glanced around taking in his surrounding for the first time and realized that he had wandered into a part of down that he didn't know.

_"Hey, this is Shirai, I'm not here right now and will be gone for the next week with Haitani for the anime convention at Tokyo. Please leave a message and we will ge…" _

Keitaro snapped his phone shut and hung his head. Weary from his wanderings, and a bit lost, he started to walk towards more familiar ground.

Keitaro grumbled as sunlight lanced through his eyelids. As he rolled over to pull the covers over his head, physics caught up as he hit the ground. The air exploded from his lungs as the hard packed earth robbed him of his precious air. Panicking slightly he stumbled to his feet to look around. He was in a familiar clearing. Oak trees surrounded it and there were various bits of martial art equipment lying around in neat piles. _"Ugh, gravity works …"_

He stretched and scratched his ribs while he tried to figure out what in the hell had happened last night. Shivering in the early morning chill and shaking the dew off of his coat, he looked down to see the wooden beam that had started it all. He didn't blame the beam as it wasn't the beams fault, but he did give it a swift kick while muttering, "Would have been easier if you hadn't broke her ankle". Still grumbling he tried to gather his bearings while he pondered what in the hell was going to happen. Stretching again he realized that there was only one person that he could call on that wouldn't judge him for anything that had happened in the last twenty four hours. He opened his phone again and hit a name. Pacing around in circles he waited for the other side to pick up. "Ring-ring, Ring-ring, ri…. Hello, Hinata Tea House this is Urashima Haruka."

Keitaro gulped before he spoke and said, "Hi Aunt Haruka, it.. it…. it…".

Haruka harrumphed over the phone, "Spit it out already I'm a busy woman"!

Keitaro blinked as the last time that he had called she had been bored out of her mind because of a lack of business. "It's Keitaro, I have a question for you…"

"Ko! Take over for a minute please, hold on a sec, Keitaro, it's hard to hear with how busy it is today!" Haruka shouted as Keitaro winced from how loud she was.

The sounds of laughter and the clinking of dishes faded as she moved to the storage room in the back. As the noise level went down Keitaro could hear her apron rustling over the phone. A door slammed in the background and Haruka resumed the conversation, "Kei-kun! How is everything? It's been a while since we had a chat"!

Keitaro hung his head a little at her cheery sounding voice. He didn't want to break that happiness up. It seemed like he was destined to have ruin follow him for a while until he could get his life back in order.

"Well, How is everything"? Haruka asked into the silence while Keitaro thought about what he could say.

"Well, uhm, err…", his voice shrank almost to nothing as he rushed out, "I'm moving out of my house, I can't deal with her anymore, she told me that I was pretty much worthless, I don't want to live there anymore, is there any way that you can help me"?

Shocked silence met him while Haruka tried to gather her scattered wits together. She spoke slowly into the receiver so that Keitaro would calm down a bit. "Kei-kun, what happened, what do you mean that you're going to move out"?

Realization hit her and Keitaro could hear her phone creaking as she said hotly, "And what do you mean she called you worthless! I'm going to murder her when I come to visit next time!"

"No, no, NO!" Keitaro shouted into the phone scaring some birds out of the trees. "I don't want anything to happen to her, but I don't want anything to do with them anymore. Listen, I need a place to stay for bit, until I can get my feet underneath me, please"?

Haruka thought about it for a second before replying quietly "It can't be helped, I guess, you know that I will always love you and will stand behind you in everything that you do…" she trailed off as Keitaro sighed in relief. He kicked a rock into the bushes and said "Thanks Haruka, you're a life saver! I knew that I could count on you…" he stopped talking as he remembered something. "Will Seta be okay with this?" he questioned.

A stony silence met him.

Keitaro waited as the silence became unbearable. Haruka blew out her breath and grumbled "We don't see each other Kei-kun, we broke up around a year ago. I don't feel comfortable talking about the particulars, but just know that he doesn't have a say in matters around here anymore." Keitaro looked at the phone wondering just what in the hell had happened since he had last talked to her. _" I guess people change over the course of a year… Well at least I have a place to stay"!_

Haruka interrupted his thoughts "Kei-kun I need to go as it's hopping busy around here, but call me when you get into the Hinata Springs area and I'll come give you a lift okay." Keitaro felt a thrill at the idea of riding on his Aunt's ZX. Haruka's bike was a thing of legends around the Hinata Springs as she could do things on that bike that would make any dare devil blanch.

"I'll call when I get there Haruka, I'll see you then"! Keitaro said. Haruka blushed and stated "Thank you Keitaro, you be careful now! I love you and have a nice trip!"

Keitaro laughed in excitement, "See you then!" He hung up the phone with a silly grin on his face. "So happy that I have someone that I can always rely on". He let out the breath that he felt that he had been holding onto since last night and went to get his suitcase.

Keitaro yawned as the bus bumped along the windy road leading up to Hinata. A heavy feeling settled over his eyes. He was sitting He let his inner eye wander over the figure of the beautiful girl that he had met. He let a cheesy grin lite upon his face as he thought about the kisses that he had received. Feeling the bus brake Keitaro looked up to see that his two hour trip was over. Mist hung in a thick veil over the bus as he gathered his things to get off.

As he stepped off the bus it vanished behind him as he heard it rumble down the road. Glancing at his watch he saw the hour hand hovering just pass two in the afternoon. "_Took me a while to get down here. I'm going to have to get everything in order so that I can find a job and a place to stay. Damn, it was nice of Haruka to let me stay with her after everything that has happened over the last few days… Has it really been a couple of days?_" "_How in the hell am I going to get to cram school every day?"_

Keitaro shook his head and started rooting through his pockets for his cell phone. Extracting it he dialed Haruka's number and waited for the phone to connect. "Moshi moshi", came his aunt's bored voice over the line. "Haruka, It's Kei, I'm in town and just wanted to let you know".

"I''ll be down shortly, give me a minute to lock up shop."

After a click the line went dead and he put his cell phone away. Keitaro looked around the small bus station that served as the main transportation hub for Hinata.

Wisps of fog drifted around him. He let his imagination go for a swim through the swirling tendrils of mist. He was imagining a dancing pair as two tendrils came together and parted multiple times. The mist took on Asuna's figure in a sheathe dress that did slow circles around a fog Keitaro. All of that came to a halt as the sound of screeching tires penetrating his ear drums and the fog figures burst apart as his aunt's black and red ZX rammed through them.

Keitaro's imagination gave him a brief glimpse of the hazy figures being torn apart. He shook his head, "_I HAVE got to get my brain under control"_. He waved cheerily as Haruka parked the bike next to him and flipped the kick stand down. As she stood up Keitaro whistled at her impressive presence. She was standing next to her bike with one knee slightly bent, shaking out her hair.

The black, skin tight, racing suit was accentuated by the red racing stripes that piped down her sides by following all of the seams. He could hear her sigh as she put her helmet on the handlebars. As she spun around, her brown eyes sparkled in the dim light, a cheeky grin spanned her face. Keitaro squeaked as she wrapped him in a bear hug. His eyes watered as he started to notice a distinct lack of precious oxygen.

Haruka grabbed him by the shoulders and took a step back laughing as he took deep gasping breaths. "Hi Haruka", Keitaro wheezed out. Haruka gave him a cheesy smile and whacked him on the shoulder. "Keitaro, it's good to see you! It's been ages since we saw each other last. Let's head back to the tea shop so that you can give me the low down on what happened…",

she trailed off as she saw how worn down he was. She grew concerned as she looked into his eyes and didn't like what she saw. "C'mon, Kei. Let's get outta here." Haruka grabbed Keitaro's hand and guided him over to the bike. He had a small smile on his face as she handed him a full visor racing helmet. It had a red fairy coming out the eye socket of a black skull embossed on the side of it. The whole helmet gleamed a soft silver as he put it over his head and flipped the visor down.

Settling on the back of the bike he gripped Haruka's waist, put his suitcase between them, and settled his head against her back. He could feel her chuckle as she started her bike up.

"Hold on tight," she shouted over her shoulder as she turned the bike onto the road that led up to the tea shop.

Keitaro groaned as he opened his sand packed eyes. Rubbing at them uselessly, he crawled out of the futon that had been laid out of the floor for him. Everything has been going well for the last couple of weeks that he had been staying at the tea shop. He hadn't had a chance to go up to the Inn to greet his grandmother as Haruka had been keeping his busy. He regretted not being able to, but Haruka was keeping him in the warm instead of out in the wet. He stretched and scratched his sides as he went into the bathroom to complete his morning absolutions.

While brushing his teeth he wondered yet again at his luck in having a relative that actually cared about him. Chuckling, he spit and went about getting dressed for the day. He walked over to his closet and took out his white button up shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes. After getting his clothes on, he aligned his shirt buttons up with his belt and wandered out of the tea shop's living quarters.

The teashop itself wasn't anything of grandeur, but it fit the needs of its owner. Small tables were in two rows. The hard wood chairs were stacked in a corner. There was a small kitchen in the corner in case the customers wanted to have an entrée with their tea. The kitchen has an open face to it so that the clientele could see what Haruka was doing. Next to the kitchen there was a small hallway, with a few doors, that led to the tea storage room. The white washed walls shone with a clarity that testified to a well-cared for operation.

Keitaro came out the hallway door that led to the living quarter stairs. Singing softly to himself, he started taking the chairs down and putting two per table. He turned as he heard the door to the stairs click shut and saw that Haruka was heading into the kitchen.

"Kei-kun, can you get the tea ready for the day" Haruka asked as she started pulling different tea pots from the cabinets. Keitaro nodded to her and walked down the hallway to the back. As he opened the door he was assaulted by the weird, wonderful, and sometimes, downright terrifying scents in the tea room. Bushes, full of dried leaves, hung from the ceiling; from the door to the back of the room. As he mused over how the storage room took up ninety-five percent of the premises, he picked up some small storage boxes. Gathering the tea for the day he let his mind wander until the front door of the inn jingled and snapped him back to reality.

Finishing up, he hurried to get the tea leaves to Haruka. As he rushed through the storage room door he slammed into a diminutive figure, as he rebounded off he spilled tea leaves everywhere.

"Son of a…" Keitaro trailed off as tea leaves swirled around his feet. As he shook the cobwebs out of his head, he pondered the wall that he had hit.

"_Waitaminute!"_.

Keitaro looked up to see a small shadowed figure reaching a hand out. As he grabbed it he discovered who the figure was. "Hello, granny, it's nice to see you again. Granny Hina crackled as he shook tea leaves out of his clothes.

"Hello there Kei-kun" she rasped out.

"Granny!", Keitaro spluttered as tea leaves floated gently around him. He sneezed which sent the tea leaves swirling around him faster, causing granny Hina to laugh harder. She wiped the tears out of her eyes and shifted to the side of the hallway. "We should talk after you clean this mess up Keitaro" she said around the left over chuckles.

As far back as Keitaro could remember granny Hina had looked the same. She had on a slightly faded blue yukata, brown leather sandals, piercing eyes that were a brown so dark as to be almost black, and her steel gray hair in a bun, a chopstick keeping it together. As Keitaro edged past her to get to the cleaning supplies, her head movements reminded him of a bird as she followed him with her laughing eyes.

Keitaro grumbled to himself. He has forgotten that she had a more westernized sense of humor, laughing when someone was embarrassed, or when they did something stupid to get hurt.

He snatched up the broom and dustpan and got to work with the tea leaves. She sat there smiling at him the whole time, waiting patiently for him to finish. When he had put the broom away, and delivered clean tea leaves to Haruka, granny Hina looped her arm through his and guided him back to a table.

As they sat she called out to Haruka "Haruka, dear, could you please get out some jade tea for Kei-kun and me, we have a bit to discuss before he continues with work for the day". Haruka's head peeked around the side of the kitchen and raised an eye brow. She had a small smile as she slowly faded back into the kitchen and said, "Yes granny..". Keitaro stifled a laugh and looked at granny Hina expectantly.

Granny Hina frowned. Keitaro settled back to wait her out as he knew that she was arranging her thoughts in her head. As she frowned Haruka brought out some tea in delicate china cups, only to be used by granny, and set them in front of the pair.

Granny Hina took a sip, cleared her throat and said, "I have an understanding , from your parents, that you left their house after you assaulted your mother."

Keitaro opened his mouth getting ready to hotly refute that falsity when she cut him off sharply "Let me finish"! "You should know by now, that I always collect all of information that I can before making an **informed** decision. Now, Keitaro, could you please fill me in on your side of the story"?

By the time that Keitaro had finished telling his side it was nearly noon and the teashop had been open for a while. Haruka didn't complain as she knew that this was important to Keitaro's future. Both granny Hina and Haruka could tell from how calm his ki was, that he was telling the whole truth. He trembled at parts as his anger flared up, but for the most part he was able to get everything out without breaking the table.

After he was done he leaned back in his chair and waited for the aftermath. Granny Hina motioned for Haruka to come over and took a sip. Haruka came over and leaned in close when Hina motioned her to get closer so that Keitaro wouldn't be able to hear their conversation. Keitaro blinked as granny whispered something into Haruka's ear. Haruka nodded occasionally as she followed the conversation, which left Keitaro in the dark. He gave a little sigh as he thought about the injustice of being left out of his fate after facing it at his parent's place.

Haruka nodded sharply at as Granny went to get another sip of tea and turned to leave. Keitaro watched her and she walked with almost military crispness into the back. Granny gave him a sunny smile as she continued to sip on her tea. Keitaro knew better than to press his grandmother on information that she didn't want to give out so he passed the time by talking with her about Go Joseki and the weather.

Haruka came back with a pad of paper, left again, and then came back with a small mountain of papers. As she came up to the table she set the pile in front of Keitaro and the pad of paper in front of granny Hina. He looked at the paper with a growing amount of trepidation as he asked "Uhm, what's this and what am I expected to do with it…" He trailed off as granny took the pad of paper, looked at it, and gave a sharp nod at Haruka.

"Grandson, since I know that you don't have a harmful bone in your body, I'm going to do you a favor as head of the Urashima family." You could almost hear Keitaro's neck snap as he looked up from the stack in front of him with wide eyes.

The Urashima family was far more powerful than most people thought. The head of the family was almost a yakuza head with the amount of underground control that they had. Granny Hina was infamous for her favors as she didn't hand them out, and when she did they were epic in scale. In her history as head of the family, as far as he knew, she had only given three favors. Two of them were to immediate family members.

Granny's eyes grew sharp as she went on, "If I do this for you, you will be tasked with something in the future, you will not be able to get away from it, and if you try it will more than likely mean your death."

"I want to remind you that I'm your grandmother", granny Hina said her eyes softening before she continued "And that I would never, ever, hurt you in anyway. I believe that you will be able to handle any task that I set before you, but if you don't take it seriously it could result in your serious harm. "

"Keitaro…" she trailed off as she frowned again. "I want you to know that you are the only family member that has consistently shown me what it is to live life to its fullest. Even though you went through some hardships as a child you never gave up and always pressed forward, which surprised me, as most of our family would love nothing more than to lay about and order people around".

"You're not afraid of hard work, which, is what you are looking at if you accept my favor."

Keitaro still looked like someone had hit him in the back of the head with a baseball bat. He stuttered as he talked trying to get his mind to work properly "G-g-g-granny, w-w-w-w-what are you t-thinking?" He gave a small shake to get everything to function. "I don't think that I would be able to handle anything like that…" He hung his head, the shouts of his mother still echoing from the past.

Granny Hina stood up, fairly spry for her age, took two steps, and grasped Keitaro's chin. As she raised his head she saw the pain and suffering that he had gone through. It broke her heart. "I wouldn't be asking if I didn't believe Keitaro, TRULY believe that you would be able to do this, as this will affect you the most; I *must* have your one hundred percent on this.


End file.
